Operation Sussex

Filmmaker Bonnie Friedman's documentary centers on a crucial World War II spy mission that played a significant role in the Allied victory but remains virtually unknown today. In advance of the D-Day invasion, 120 French citizens based in Great Britain were recruited to return to their Nazi-occupied homeland in order to gather intelligence on German military activities. After receiving intensive training, the men and women were later flown into war zones, where they parachuted down in pairs. While all wartime missions are dangerous, the participants in this operation were at greater risk—none were military members, so no one had Geneva Convention protections if captured by the Germans. Although several of these volunteers were caught, tortured, and killed, many others evaded detection and provided the Allies with vital data on troop and convoy missions—information that would play a key role in bombing raids over occupied France and, ultimately, in the liberation of Europe. Although praised by the British and American military, these volunteers were quickly overlooked by many war historians. Combining interviews of several of the last surviving members of the mission together with rare archival film and photos, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)